Unsecured pools present a drowning hazard to unattended children. Accordingly, pools are commonly provided with a fence surrounding the pool to prevent children from inadvertently falling into the pool. Additionally, the fence surrounding the pool is commonly provided with a gate to allow convenient access to and from the pool. Moreover, such gates are commonly provided with locks to prevent children from opening the gate. Conventional gates also may be provided with structural members not present on the remainder of the fence because the gate is subject to additional loading due to the repeated opening and closing of the gate. These additional structural members on conventional gates, however, may be configured such that children can climb over the gate and thereby access the pool. For instance, conventional gates may include structural features, such as rods, poles, or stringers, which permit children to scale the gate and thereby access the pool.
Additionally, conventional pool fences and gates are typically shipped in a fully or partially assembled state in order to ensure the structural integrity and rigidity of the fence and gate upon installation around the pool. Gates, in particular, are typically shipped in an assembled state. However, shipping fences and gates in a partially or fully assembled state requires a large shipping container, which adds significant delivery expense to the fence and gate and limits the type of vehicles which are capable of transporting the fence and gate. An assembled gate will have a width and height that will take considerable clearance for packing and shipping.
As such, there is a need for a fence and gate which are configured to prevent children from climbing the gate and which are configured to be transported in a compact disassembled state and then assembled in situ into a structurally rigid frame around the pool.